King Of Netherlands To Visit POET/DSM’s Project Liberty Grand Opening

August 26, 2014

Emmetsburg will be placed in the international spotlight next week for the Grand Opening cermeonies of POET/DSMs Project Liberty. The Court of His Majesty Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands, has announced that the King will attend the Grand Opening of POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels' Project LIBERTY cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg on Wednesday, Sept. 3.

The King will take part in the Grand Opening Ceremony to perform the formal opening activity, scheduled for 11 a.m.-12:20 p.m. and tour the plant. POET-DSM is a joint venture between the U.S.-based POET and the Netherlands-based DSM.

The Grand Opening is a public event from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and will feature plant tours, a formal ceremony, a flyover by the ethanol-powered Vanguard Squadron, booths, entertainment and more. The public is invited to attend, and lunch will be provided.

Project LIBERTY will process 770 tons of corn cobs, leaves, husk and some stalk annually to produce 20 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year, later ramping up to 25 million gallons per year. Plant personnel are currently running biomass through the pretreatment process and preparing for the first gallons of ethanol. Project LIBERTY will be the flagship plant in POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels' plan to license this technology to companies across the U.S. and around the world.

Public Program

The public program for the events on Sept. 3 will being with public tours of the Project Liberty site starting at 9 a.m. and continuing until 11 a.m. Tours will then resume at 1:45 p.m. until 4 p.m.

The official Grand Opening Ceremonies will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:20 p.m., featuring officials and dignitaries, including King Willem-Alexander, as well as Iowa Governor Terry Branstand and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds.

Lunch will be served from 12:20 to 1:45 p.m. and various informational booths, and equipment viewing will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. All activities will take place at the Project Liberty site.

It is important to note that there will be no public parking at the site. Free parking and regular shuttles will run from the Wild Rose Casino parking lot.